Boston Common

Your Guide

The Boston Common or “The Commonage,” founded in 1634 for the people’s collective benefit as pastureland for all, is the oldest public park in America.

In Colonial times, the Common served as a meeting place, pasture, and military training field. Back then, the area was open pasture, with few trees, some undulating land, and small ponds. The Central Burying Ground located within the Common at Tremont and Arlington Streets is one of Boston’s 16 ancient burying grounds.

In the 1830s, cows were removed from the Common, ponds were filled, many higher areas were lowered. Avenues of trees defined tree-lined malls, and paths create a circulation network. In 1836, an ornamental fence was constructed around the perimeter. Gateways were introduced. During the Civil War, soldier recruitment efforts and anti-slavery meetings were held here.

In 1897, the nation’s first subway system opened here, built with tunnels constructed under the Common, resulting in the removal of the American Elm Avenue of Tremont Mall (later named Lafayette Mall). Also in 1897, a memorial was created for Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, the Union’s first free black regiment, by sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens and architect Charles McKim.

By the end of the 19th century, the Common was transformed into the park we know today.

A number of designers have worked on the Boston Common over the years, including: the Olmsted brothers, Arthur Asahel Shurtleff (Shurcliff), Shurcliff and Merrill, and Carol Johnson Associates.

Elm trees on Tremont Street Mall, 1728

“Hear the echoes of 350 years of the most extraordinary history of America's oldest park. Here the Colonial militia mustered for the Revolution. In 1768, the hated British Redcoats began an eight-year encampment. George Washington, John Adams, and General Lafayette came here to celebrate our nation's independence." -- City of Boston

Image: Boston Public Library

Water Celebration, October 25, 1848

Image: New York Public Library

Tremont St., 1913

Image: Margaret Dyson

Brewer Fountain, 1870

Image: Margaret Dyson

Aerial View of Boston Common

The 20th century saw major tree planting. The Brewer Fountain was moved and set on axis with the Bullfinch State House and Liberty Mall, a green vert, connecting them. The Soldiers and Sailors Monument, the Frog Pond, and the Parkman Bandstand were added.

Image: Google Maps

Walkway to Brewer Fountain Today

"Today, the historic Boston Common attracts hundreds of thousands of people every year, both residents and visitors. It is a place of sports, informal and organized; exhibitions; musical events; a Shakespeare festival; rallies and protests; charity walks and art shows; and on New Year’s Eve, Boston’s famous First Night. The Common remains and always will be the center stage of civic life, a place to play and to protest, and a green retreat in the heart of a busy city.” -- The Friends of the Public Garden.

Image: Marion Pressley

Brewer Fountain Plaza and Liberty Mall

The Common has remained a major civic space. There, Charles Lindbergh promoted commercial aviation, Martin Luther King, Jr. held rallies, protester railed against Vietnam War, and the Pope John Paul II held the first papal mass celebrated in North America.